The Equivalent Exchange V2
by livesinshadows19
Summary: After hiding his Alchemy for so long, Harry is forced to use it in order to save his Head of House. During the aftermath, this means that things will change for Harry and his friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright everyone, here's the new chapter for The Equivalent Exchange! I started thinking about it and realized this new way of starting the story made it sound a lot better and should be much more entertaining. Without further ado, allons-y!**

Harry and the other students looked on at what was happening below them with shock and anger. Umbridge and a small band of aurors were trying to force Hagrid away from his home on the grounds of Hogwarts due to him not passing her own requirements. Seeing the lights from the entrance hall stretch out over the grounds, everyone noticed the form of Professor McGonagall heading out over the grounds while demanding to know what was going on. Harry looked on in shock as he saw, in what appeared to be slow motion, the aurors and Umbridge turn and cast stunners in the Transfiguration professor's direction.

Knowing nothing good could come from the spells making contact, Harry reacted. Clapping his hands together, Harry immediately slammed them into the ledge in front of him. Arcs of lightning and energy flowed from the point of contact and down the tower wall until it hit the ground and moved towards the incoming spells. A curving chute made of stone erupted out of the ground and began diverting the spells before sending them back to the casters. Umbridge and the aurors had no chance as they all stood there in shock before getting knocked unconscious. Harry clapped his hands together again and made another chute that went from the tower down to the grounds before jumping onto it and making his way down.

Rushing over to his Head of House, he tried to catch his breath as he looked her over worriedly. "Professor McGonagall, are you alright?"

The scottish woman looked at him in shock before regaining her senses and nodding her head. "Y-yes, Mr. Potter, I'm alright. But I have to ask, how did you do that?"

Harry felt his eyes widening for a moment before gaining a sheepish look and rubbing the back of his head. "Um… would you believe me if I said it was accidental magic from the adrenaline of wanting to help?"

His question was met with a blank look and a slightly raised eyebrow. Seeing the look his professor was giving him, Harry sighed and let his head drop slightly. "Didn't think so. Would it be acceptable if I explained later Professor? I really think we should contact Madam Bones about what happened here and what almost happened to you. I promise I will explain once everything calms down."

Seeing the logic in what one of her cubs said, Minerva nodded before glancing over at the unconscious forms of the defense professor and the aurors she had brought with her. "Alright Mr. Potter, I will hold you to that. Now if you don't mind, please restrain these… _people_ … and gather their wands. We don't need them causing a larger fuss than necessary should they awaken."

Nodding in agreement, Harry clapped his hands together before kneeling and placing his hands on the earth in front of him. Rectangular pieces of stone came out of the ground and wrapped around the people in front of him so that their arms were pinned to their sides. Taking his wand out from his robes, he cast the levitation charm at the bodies so that they would be easier to transport into the castle. Looking back to the wide eyed Transfiguration professor, Harry couldn't fight the grin that spread across his face as he gave a slight bow. "After you, Professor."

Regaining her senses once again, Minerva gave him a slight glare, which was ruined by the twitching of her lips, before leading him into the castle and to her office. Harry just grinned wider and chuckled slightly to himself as he followed behind her, the restrained forms of the aurors and Umbridge floating behind them as he tucked their wands into his pocket.

 **XXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **Astronomy Tower**

The students and the staff looked on in awe at what just transpired in front of them. Jerkily turning his head over to Hermione, Ron choked out the question that was on everyone else's minds. "What the bloody fucking hell was that, Hermione?"

Hermione, in just as much shock as the others, didn't even chastise Ron on his use of foul language as she attempted to figure out the answer herself. "I… I'm not sure Ron. It couldn't have been Transfiguration since Harry didn't use his wand, and the same reason for a charm. The only other thing I can think of is… Harry somehow knows how to use Alchemy."

Everyone looked at the bushy haired girl in shock as they tried to wrap their minds around it. Seamus spoke up and asked the question that everyone was wondering, "Where'd the hell did he learn that?"

 **XXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **Minerva Mcgonagall's Office**

Harry set the aurors and Umbridge down in the chairs that were in the office, standing there quietly as he waited for his Head of House to finish with the Floo as she spoke to Madam Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Seeing her backing out of the fireplace and moving out of the way, Harry watched as Madam Bones and Kingsley stepped out of the fireplace, followed by Tonks as she stumbled slightly. Harry shook his head in slight amusement at the Metamorphmagus, knowing she was even worse with magical travel than he was.

Madam Bones looked around before narrowing her eyes at the bound forms of her aurors and the undersecretary of the Minister. Glancing over to Minerva, she cleared her throat. "I trust that now I can get the full story of why Dolores Umbridge and five of my aurors are bound and unconscious?"

Minerva nodded before explaining what had happened that night, begining with how Umbridge had used exessive force to try and remove Hagrid from the grounds of Hogwarts due to her failing Hagrid as a Professor of Care of Magical Creatures. She then informed Amelia as to how she had left the castle in order to stop the spellfire when the spells began flying toward her. She tapered off after that and looked toward Harry. "However, Mr. Potter here did something rather amazing that spared me from being hit with the multiple stunners. He hasn't informed me as to what he had done yet, seeing as how he wanted to wait until you arrived so that he didn't have to explain multiple times."

At that, all the adults turned towards Harry as they waited for him to begin.

Sighing, Harry cleared his throat as he began his story. "After seeing Professor McGonagall in trouble, I knew I had to do something. So I used my Alchemy skills to create a chute from the stones in the ground to divert the spells back to the casters. Once they were down I used my Alchemy again to create another chute to slide down and make sure that Professor McGonagall was alright. After that I bound them and took their wands and levitated them here."

Looking up at the adults in the room, Harry was met with varying looks of surprise and awe. Feeling bashful, Harry rubbed the back of his head and chuckled weakly. "Uh, I'm not going to be in trouble for assaulting them am I?"

The question knocked the adults out of their surprise with Madam Bones answering the question. "No, you won't be charged with anything. I will personally make sure of that. I do have another question, however: I thought transmutation circles were needed to perform Alchemy, however you don't seem to have used one in the time span you had to react?"

Sighing at being found out, Harry took his wand out and casted a _Finite_ on his palms to reveal tattoos on them that were a half of a transmutation circle on each one. "This is how I did it. After I learned how to perform Alchemy and knew I had no way of having a circle ready at all times, and that having gloves on all the time with the circle halves on the palms would cause a lot of questions, my mentor used a glamour spell to hide them so that my skills would be hidden until they were absolutely needed. Before you ask I cannot tell you who my mentor is. They prefer to have their lives kept private and I cannot betray that confidence."

Nodding in understanding, the adults accepted his explanation before Tonks gained their attention. "Harry, what's that on the back of your hand? Did you get hurt somehow while helping Professor McGonagall?"

Harry paled slightly before fidgeting and trying to hide his hand. "It's nothing."

Frowning slightly, Minerva walked over to her student and held out her hand. "Mr. Potter, I insist that you let us take a look at your hand."

Harry glanced at all of the adults, obviously fighting an internal battle while cursing himself for forgetting that his _Finite_ dispel the glamour that hid the cuts on the back of his hand, before sighing in defeat and putting his hand in hers, showing the words _'I must not tell lies'_. "Alright Professor. These marks are… they're from my detentions with Professor Umbridge. She had me use this jet black quill that used my own blood as ink and cut the words she had me write as my lines while in detention."

The adults looked furious at what they were just told, Amelia especially. "You mean to tell me she had you use a blood quill? Those are not allowed out of the Ministry or Gringotts!"

Turning to Kingsley and Tonks, who looked just as furious as she did, she began barking out orders. "Auror Kingsley, head to her office and look for the evidence. Auror Tonks, I want you to look in her files and see if any other students had detentions with her and see if they also were made to use the blood quill."

The two nodded and left the room quickly, glaring daggers at Umbridge while their wand hands twitched.

Hearing that there was a possibility of the quill being used on other students, Harry suddenly went paler than Sir Nicholas and felt his knees buckle. Minerva carefully helped him into a chair before he could fall to the floor, placing a supporting hand on his shoulder.

Glaring daggers at the object of her fury, Amelia pulled out her wand and pointed it at Umbridge. " _Enervate!"_

Seeing as the woman began to stir and become aware of her surroundings, Madam Bones stormed in front of her and glared down at the pink toad. "Dolores Umbridge, you are hereby under arrest for the use of a blood quill on a minor and possession of a blood quill outside of the walls of the Ministry."

 **XXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **And here it is, the new chapter of The Equivalent Exchange! Read and review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alrighty then, here's the new chapter for TEE! I know you all have been waiting eagerly for this one. Now to answer what some of you must be wondering, the previous chapter has been replaced due to me reading it to remember where I am and I found some grammar problems that i felt needed to be fixed. Now, onto the story! Allons-y!**

 **XXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **Ministry of Magic, Courtroom Ten**

Harry had been rather surprised at how quick everything had gone into getting Umbridge's trial started. It had only been three days since the incident after all. However, know that he thought about it, it was probably becuase Fudge didn't want the news of what his attack toad had been up to reaching the public. He could also appreciate the irony of how the toad's trial was in the same courtroom as his own.

Sitting in the designated witness section of the courtroom, Harry watched as the trial began.

Clearing her throat, Madam Bones began to speak as she gathered the attention of the courtroom. "This trial shall now be called to order Aurors, please bring in the defendant."

Harry watched as the side door to the courtroom opened with a team of Aurors leading in Umbridge, who was walking with her head held high as if she had done nothing wrong. He couldn't fight the frown that appeared on his face at that. How arrogant and stupid did you have to be to think you would be found not guilty over something so serious, and with such damning evidence? Hearing a small whimper from beside him, Harry looked over at the only other student who had the blood quills used on him, a second year Hufflepuff named Connor Neighbors with sandy hair and a slightly rounded face that was well on it's way to losing that baby fat. Placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder, the raven haired youth gave him an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, lad. She can't see us over here. That's part of the magics they use for the witnesses."

Seeing Connor straighten his back slightly and get a more confident look on his face, Harry turned back to see the toad be brought up to the chained chair.

Umbridge sat in the defendant's chair, the chains immediately coming to life and wrapping themselves up her arms so that she was bound to it until she was allowed to leave. The toad woman glared at the chains before moving her gaze to Madam Bones. "What is the meaning of this Amelia? I am the Under Secretary to the Minister of Magic! I shall not be bound like some sort of criminal!"

This made the entire courtroom go silent as everyone was rendered speechless. This woman believed, _actually and honestly,_ that they were doing this for fun? That the charges against her weren't able to touch her because of her position in the Ministry?

Harry, as well as many others, couldn't stop themselves from facepalming as they realized that, yes, this woman was that stupid.

Shaking herself from her stupor, Madam Bones returned the glare with one of her own. "Dolores Umbridge, you are being brought to trial for criminal offenses and shall be treated like one. Now, the charges are as follows: assault of a minor, illegal possession of a blood quill outside the walls of the Ministry of Magic or Gringotts Bank, as well as aggravated assault and attempted murder. How do you plead to the charges?"

Bringing herself up to her full seated height, which was honestly barely taller than Dobby was tall, Umbridge looked up at the Wizengamot. "Obviously, I plead not guilty."

Shaking her head, Madam Bones took to her parchment again. "Noted. Now, to begin with, we shall start with the physical evidence. First we have exhibit A, a bag of blood quills that was found in the drawer of your desk in your office as professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

As she spoke, an Auror brought out the bag while levitating it with his wand, a second Auror beside him using his own levitation spell to bring the blood quills out of the bag to show the courtroom. This caused the courtroom to erupt in furious whispers, wondering who had given her so many and how their loss wasn't reported.

Banging her gavel to gather the attention of the courtroom, Madam Bones moved on to the next piece of evidence listed on her parchment. "Now, exhibits B and C are related due to the fact that they are the result of many hours of the use of the blood quills in question."

The Aurors brought out two pictures from the folder regarding the cases evidence before making them float in the air and enlarging them for the courtroom to see. On the left was Harry's hand, only no one else knew it was him at the moment, with the words _"I must not tell lies"_ permanently carved into his skin. On the right was a much smaller hand with the words _"I shall respect my betters"_ carved into it.

This garnered more cries of outrage from the governing body, all calling for the woman to be sent to Azkaban immediately. However, Madam Bones was not going to break protocol. After all, she was the one who put an emphasis on such things. Once more banging her gavel and gathering the attention of the room, which took a few minutes, she proceeded with the trial in the way it is supposed to go. "Now, the defendant shall be removed from the room so that the defendants may come forward with their testimonies. Auror's, if you will."

The Auror's nodded and brought the woman out of the chair, the chains falling limp, and onto a small room within the courtroom so that she wouldn't know who was helping damn her with the government, even though she had done such a superb job on her own. Once the door was closed and locked with the silencing spells and runes in place, Madam Bones cleared her throat before calling out to the witness area. "Will the first witness please come forward and present your testimony."

Looking over at the young boy, Harry gave him a smile and a gentle squeeze on his shoulder. "Don't worry, you got this. Just tell the truth and all will be fine."

Nodding towards his fellow student, the young Hufflepuff began walking down from the witness area and to the much more welcomg chair that the Auror's had supplied. No need to make the witnesses sit in a chair meant for criminals after all.

Sitting down, the second year looked up towards the imposing, but now much warmer, face of Madam Bones. Looking at her parchment, Madam Bones began reading from it as to confirm the identity of the student in front of her. "You are Connor Norman Neighbors, second year Hufflepuff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, child of Tyler and Amelia Neighbors, correct?"

Clearing his throat, the young man looked up with as much courage as he could muster. "Yes, ma'am."

Sending the boy a warm smile, Madam Bones placed her hands together on the table in front of her. "Now Connor, if I may call you that, will you please tell the Wizengamot just what led to the defendant giving you detention and using the blood quil on you?"

Nodding, Connor gathered up his nerves before speaking in as clear a voice as he could. "Well, I'm a muggleborn wizard, so i'm still learning what i can about being a wizard outside of classes. I was having a discussion with another student about some sports that wizards might play other than quidditch and was wondering if any other students might want to play some of the muggle sports i played while in school before coming to Hogwarts. We were walking down one of the corridors on the way to the Great Hall when an older student from Slytherin heard our discussion. She started saying how stupid i had to be, thinking that any of the students would want to play any, as she put it, "filthy barbarian sports", when all wizards have needed for centuries is quidditch. To be honest, i got really mad about it. I really enjoyed all the sports i played back in the muggle world. So i started defending them. Around that time is when Professor Umbridge came up. She had heard the conversation, and gave me detention for starting a fight in the corridors."

Here, Connor stopped and lightly rubbed his hand before taking a deep breath and continuing with his tale. "When I arrived at her office, Professor Umbridge made me sit in a desk in front of her own that had the quil and a piece of parchment. She told me that i should have known better than to be spreading around ideas of practicing "filthy muggle sports" and that I shouldn't have argued with an older pureblood student. Thats when she told me to begin writing my lines with the words _"I shall respect my betters."_ "

Trying to keep her anger off of her face, Amelia sent the boy a grateful smile. "Thank you Connor, you may go back to the witness area now."

Getting up from his seat, Connor gave the witch a grateful nod before heading back to the witness area. Sitting back down, Connor immediately slumped down and let out a heavy breath. "That was much more draining than i expected."

One of the Auror's standing in the witness area gave the boy a smile before handing him a bottle of pumpkin juice. "You did great out there, lad. With that alone her fate is set. But once Mr. Potter steps out and tells his testimony, I don't think she's going to have any chance of getting out of Azkaban."

Taking the bottle with a grateful smile, Connor looked towards Harry as he stood and began walking out of the witness area. "Thank you for earlier, Harry. I don't think i could have done nearly as well without your support."

Harry stopped just shy of the door way and sent the boy a small smile over his shoulder. "It was no problem, Connor. I do my best to help anyone who needs it after all."

And with that, Harry walked out of the witness area and into the courtroom proper, hearing but ignoring the gasps and shouts of outrage at their "beloved Boy-Who-Lived" being forced to use a blood quill.

Sitting down in the witness chair, Harry looked up to Madam Bones and gave her a small nod, showing he was ready.

This was a long time coming.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay everybody, I am so so sorry about the delay between my last update and now. Personal life got in the way and we all know how that can go. Now as I'm writing this on my phone and then going to edit the chapter on a computer, I am going to be going over it with a fine tooth comb to make sure it's up to my Monk like standards.**

 **Also, a cookie to whoever gets the reference.**

 **Now enough of my bull shit! Let's get on with the story! Allons-y!**

 **Ministry Court Room 10**

 **XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Harry sat in the witness chair calmly, waiting for Madam Bones to address him as she sorted through her paperwork to bring out the files for his case.

Clearing her throat, Madam Bones looked down toward him and began his part of the trial. "You are Harry Potter, fifth year Gryffindor, son of James Potter and Lilly Potter neé Evans correct?"

Harry nodded as he folded his hands together in his lap. "Yes ma'am."

Harry could tell Madam Bones was going to ask for his story about why Umbridge gave him detentions and the like, and knowing how the public was reacting to his and Dumbledore's claims of Voldemort being back, decided to do something about it before it became a problem.

"Excuse me, Madam Bones, but before we begin, may I say something?"

Amelia looked puzzled but nodded her acquiescence, "Yes you may, Mr. Potter."

Nodding his thanks with a smile, Harry stood from the witness chair and carefully took his wand out from his robes, point first and with only two fingers so that he appeared non threatening, before taking a normal grip on it with his wand pointing into the air. "I, Harry James Potter, do hereby declare that everything I say from now to the end of the trial is true. If I am lying, may my magic itself take my life as recompense. So I say, so mote it be."

With a flash of light, Harry's oath took effect. Placing his wand back into his robes and sitting in the witness chair, Harry smiled up at the shocked and surprised faces of the government body in front of him. "Now with that out of the way, I am ready to begin, Madam Bones."

Madam Bones just looked on in surprise before clearing her throat to be able to begin speaking. "Well, Mr. Potter, would you be able to tell the court why Dolores Umbridge gave you detentions and forced you to use the blood quill?"

"Certainly." Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, relaxing slightly before opening them and looking just above the crowd so that he could speak without seeing their reactions. "The first detention was given on the first day of class that I had with her. Multiple students were questioning the course aims, seeing as how we were told that we would only be studying theory and not practicing the spells. When it was brought up, we were told by Umbridge that we didn't need to practice, that theory was good enough to be able to perform the spells."

There was a loud commotion over that, everyone shouting about sabotaging the students and the like. Harry calmly waited until Madam Bones was able to calm the crowd down, beginning to speak again once receiving a nod from the stern but fair woman.

"It was then I brought up about theory not being enough, that practice was required to cast spells at their best. I also mentioned that there's a strong possibility of being attacked, a prime example being when the Death Eaters attacked during the Quidditch World Cup last year. When Umbridge asked who could possibly want to attack students such as myself, I told her Voldemort and his followers."

A man off to the left of Madam Bones stood at that point, glaring down at Harry as he spoke. "That is a lie! You-Know-Who is not back! You're just trying to beef up your fame again!"

Many other people in the room began to speak their agreement about the man's claim, some calling for his testimony to be dismissed outright.

Harry just looked toward the man who spoke out first, an eyebrow raised as he maintained his calm and waited to be able to speak again. Luckily, that came very quickly as Madam Bones raised her wand and let loose a loud sound similar to a cannon, thus bringing order again.

"I do believe that as we can all see, Mr. Potter is speaking the truth about You-Know-Who. If he was lying about that, his magic would have killed him the moment he finished speaking. However, we can all see that he is still alive. Does anyone else wish to foolishly open their mouths again?" Madam Bones looked around the room with a glare, daring anyone to speak. Luckily, everyone got the message as they looked at Harry, the dark haired teen just looking up at them all before giving a small wave.

"Thank you, Madam Bones. After that, the reasons for her detentions became more and more asinine. Defending myself from other students in an argument and being told I had instigated it, being blamed for casting a tripping jinx and causing her to fall, things of that nature. Each detention I was forced to use the blood quill until the message, as Umbridge so eloquently put it, sunk in."

Amelia had a grave look on her face upon hearing the highly sadistic phrase to describe her detentions. Nodding to Harry, she gave him a kind, albeit understandably strained, smile. "Thank you Mr. Potter. Now, onto the next part of your testimony. You were taking your Astronomy O.W.L. when the defendant, along with a team of Aurors, left the castle and headed towards the home of the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid, is that correct?"

Harry nodded in the affirmative, "Yes ma'am."

Nodding, Amelia turned the page in the folder in front of her before turning back to Harry. "Could you please tell the court what happened after you saw the defendant and Aurors use excessive force against Mr. Hagrid?"

Taking a deep breath, knowing what he said next would cause him so many problems, Harry began his tale. "After watching Umbridge and the Aurors confront Hagrid and then resort to stunning spells for a few minutes, the castle doors opened and Professor McGonagall came out. She began yelling for them to stop attacking Hagrid when Umbridge and the Aurors turned and all cast their stunning spells toward her. I knew she wouldn't be able to handle the strain of five stunners being cast at her, so I did what I could to save Professor McGonagall."

Taking another deep breath and looking into Madam Bones' eyes, he received an imperceptible nod, showing that he had her support. Giving his own nod back, Harry continued. "I clapped my hands together to activate the two halves of a transmutation circle that are tattooed on my palms. After activating a transmutation that made the dirt in front of Professor McGonagall turn to stone and form a chute that caught the spells and diverted them, the casters of the spells were knocked unconscious with their own spells. After that I transmuted a slide so I could get down to Professor McGonagall and make sure she was okay, as well as help her with Umbridge and the Aurors."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the room burst into another uproar. Many people were claiming he was lying again, that no such kind of alchemy existed. Harry simply looked at them all with a raised eyebrow.

Standing slowly and casting a _Finite_ on his palms, Harry showed his tattooed palms to the crowd before clapping his hands together, a clapping sound that was much louder than it should be emanated from him and echoed around the room, silencing the crowd.

Kneeling down and pressing his hands to the floor, arcs of lightning like energy surround him as the floor shifted and morphed. Slowly standing up, the ground followed his hands and after Harry was fully raised, before him stood a miniature version of Hogwarts. Glancing up at the crowd, eyebrow still raised, Harry waited for anymore denials of his skills in alchemy.

Fighting back a smile, Amelia cleared her throat to gather everyone's attention. "Yes, well, with that out of the way let's get back to business. Thank you for your testimony, Mr. Potter. Before you go back to the witness area, if you could please fix the floor?"

Glancing back to the miniature castle, Harry grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Yes ma'am, sorry about that."

Once again activating his transmutation circle, Harry turned the floor back to normal before heading back to the witness area. Once inside and in his seat, Harry nodded towards Connor and the Aurors before turning back to the view of the courtroom.

Amelia banged her gavel once more before speaking to the Aurors. "Bring the defendant back in for her sentencing."

After unlocking the door and cancelling the spells, Dolores Umbridge was led back into the chained chair with the chains snapping to life and binding her arms to itself. The toad like woman simply glared up at the gathering of witches and wizards, all of whom were glaring right back at her.

"Dolores Umbridge, this body has heard the testimonies of the witnesses who were brought in to testify against you and are ready to make its verdict toward your guilt or innocence. Do you have any words you would like to say before the vote is cast?" Amelia glared down through her monocle, the gray streaked redhead wanting nothing more than to curse this toad into oblivion.

"Just that I can't wait for this farce of a trial to be over. I have things to take care of back at Hogwarts," Dolores sneered.

"Alright then. All who call for a verdict of guilty, please raise your wands now." Amelia looked around as multiple wands rose, all light up at the tips to make themselves seen.

Doing a quick count, along with double checking, Amelia sent Dolores a vicious and vindictive grin. "With a unanimous vote of 57, the verdict is guilty. Your sentence is a life sentence in Azkaban, to be carried out immediately. Aurors, take her away."

The Aurors began to do just that, barely restraining themselves from stunning the woman as she thrashed and writhed in their grasp while screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs.

Meanwhile, in the witness area, Harry had quickly covered Conner's ears while looking shocked and somewhat impressed at what he was hearing. Behind them, Harry heard the Auror hum in thought. "Never thought to combine those together. Gotta give her points for creativity though."

Shaking his head slightly, Harry let go of the younger boys ears so that he could hear again. Turning behind to face the Aurors, Harry was about to ask what happens now before he was beat to the punch.

"Madam Bones wishes to speak with you in her office, Mr. Potter. I'm to lead you there while my associate here takes Mr. Norman back to Hogwarts."

Nodding, Harry smiled down at the second year. "See you back at school, Connor."

The second year just grinned and nodded while he followed the other Auror.

 **XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **DMLE, Director's Office**

It wasn't a long walk to Madam Bones' office, maybe 10 minutes. Even though Harry and his escort had left before her, Madam Bones had still beat them there.

Harry suspected secret passages.

Sitting in the chair in front of her desk, Harry watched as Madam Bones activated some privacy spells and runes before sitting down behind her desk. Giving the young man a smile, Amelia nodded her head in respect. "I wanted to say thank you for your help today Harry. If it wasn't for you, I don't think we ever would have found out about Umbridge's machinations."

Feeling a bit bashful, Harry scratched the back of his head. "It was no problem, ma'am. I just did what I felt was right."

Smiling again at the kind soul, Amelia nodded before she turned serious. "However, I have to ask you something. Who taught you how to use alchemy Harry? With you being such a high profile target, it can't do to just leave some random person to teach you such a complicated art."

Sighing, Harry rubbed his eyes before looking directly into Amelia's. "First, alchemy is a science, not an art. Second, I can't tell you. Part of me being able to learn from my mentor was to swear an oath to not reveal his identity without his permission."

Frowning, Amelia began looking for a different tactic to get the information she wanted. "Well then, I'm going to have to ask you to write to your mentor and have him come see me. I need to vet his credentials."

Opening his mouth to respond, Harry was cut off by a knock at the door. Amelia and Harry both looked surprised before she went to undo her spells and runes. "Yes?"

The door opened just far enough for the secretary to pop her head in. "Sorry to disturb you Director, but there's a gentleman here who says you'd be wanting to speak with him. Something about a young man knowing a science he wasn't expected to know."

Harry paled so fast Amelia was worried he died for a moment, although the wording the man used and Harry's own words earlier already told her who was at the door. "Thank you, Sarah. Send him in please."

Harry sat stock still, sweat coming off of him in buckets as his eyes started looking for a way out. His search was for naught, as he felt a masculine hand land on his shoulder. "Harry Potter, just what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

The man shook his head before turning to Amelia. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, ma'am, as well as any problems my student has caused. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is…"

 **XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **Ha! Cliffhanger for the win! Looks like you'll have to wait for Harry's mentor to be identified!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I decided that KBMV2 and STTSV2 will be put on hiatus for a while. This story seems to be my most popular so I want to focus on this for a while.**

 **Now onto the show!**

Amelia watched as Harry looked incredibly nervous, sweating at an alarming rate and looking as pale as the ghosts of Hogwarts. Turning toward his mentor, she took notice of his state of dress. The man was obviously military, based on his blue uniform and set of medals on his chest.

The man was also fucking huge!

He towered over her easily, standing close to Hagrid in height. He was also mostly bald except for a small lock of blonde hair with bright blue eyes. He also had a mustache that covered most of his mouth, hiding his lips as he spoke. Bowing slightly, the man began introducing himself.

"Good afternoon, Madam Bones. I am Major Alex Louise Armstrong, member of the military of Amestris and State Alchemist. I am also the mentor to young Harry here when it comes to his alchemic education. It's a pleasure to meet you." The man's voice was very deep, but also soothing to listen to in a way.

Standing up from her desk, Amelia offered her hand as she greeted the Major. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Major Armstrong. I must say, I've heard rumors of the State Alchemists but didn't think they were true. I can honestly say I'm pleased to be wrong, since otherwise Mr. Potter here may not have been able to help in the way he has."

Raising an eyebrow and looking down towards his apprentice, Armstrong wondered what the young man had done. "I'm glad he assisted you, but other than his alchemy being ousted I'm not sure what else has happened. Would you be able to inform me of the recent developments regarding my young charge here?"

So Amelia told him everything, from the blood quill being used to the night Harry had saved his head of house from being harmed. By the end of the story, Armstrong couldn't help but feel his chest swell with pride at the heroics of his student. Turning toward the messy haired boy, a veritable waterfall of tears poured from the man's eyes as a small set of pink diamond shaped sparkles twinkled around his head. Before Harry could even twitch to try and escape, he was swept into a bear hug as the Major stood up with him.

"HARRY POTTER THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS! YOU BRING HONOR AND PRESTIGE TO YOUR FAMILY NAME JUST LIKE US ARMSTRONG'S HAVE FOR GENERATIONS!"

Harry, however, was trying to escape the death hug before he suffocated, his face slowly turning blue as he tapped the Major's shoulder to try and get his attention. It was for naught, however, as Harry passed out almost immediately and hung in his mentors' arms as he was waved about like a limp noodle.

Amelia on the other hand….

She could only wonder how this man was at the rank of Major and a State Alchemist when the man was more eccentric than Dumbledore, a feat she didn't know was possible.

 **XXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Harry sighed once again, his hand covering his face, as his mentor walked with him from the village back up to the school. The man was _still_ going on about how Harry had been a noble young man in defending his teacher. Arriving at the front doors to the castle, Harry wondered who would be there to meet them. After all his years of having to enter the castle like this, there always was a teacher expecting him.

The doors opened and, surprisingly, Professor Flitwick was the one greeting him this time. The half goblin smiled up at, unbeknownst to Harry, one of his favorite students outside of Ravenclaw as he opened the door wider. "Welcome back, Mr. Potter. While you were gone, the Headmaster has been successfully reinstated and he wishes to speak with you."

Nodding, Harry smiled back down at the Charms Master. "Thank you, Professor. I'll head up there now."

Glancing up to his mentor, and privately finding the size difference between Armstrong and Flitwick incredibly amusing, the youngest of the three cleared his throat. "Professor, this is my alchemy mentor, Major Alex Louise Armstrong from Amestris. I believe Professor Dumbledore also wants to speak with him?"

Breaking his gaze away from the giant of a man (for he was exclusively a man, Filius' magical senses from his goblin half could detect none of a giants' natural magic from him), Flitwick nodded. "You'd be correct, Mr. Potter. Although I have to ask, how is he here? I can tell he is a muggle so the muggle repelling wards should not have let him get this close, even with you guiding him."

Speaking for the first time, Armstrong cleared his throat to gather the attention to himself. "I can explain that better than young Harry can, sir. Nicholas Flamel is a close friend of the State Alchemist Full-Metal, so he was able to give me a pendant that acted as an anti-anti muggle repelling ward. I'm not too sure about the logistics of such a creation, however."

The look on the diminutive professor's face showed just how much he wanted to examine such an, admittedly, fascinating piece of magic, but quickly gathered his wits about him and cleared his throat. "Well, that's about as good of an explanation as I believe I'll get. Now run along you two, the Headmaster is waiting."

Harry and Armstrong both nodded and walked past Flitwick, the larger of the duo following the smaller as he led the way to the Headmaster's office. Armstrong looked on in fascination as he examined the moving portraits and staircases, the ghosts floating a few inches above the ground as they conversed with either students, faculty, or each other. The State Alchemist had to hold back a chuckle as he saw the looks on the residents faces at his large stature. Armstrong knew he was very above average when it came to his height and muscles and took a slight amount of joy in seeing the shocked looks on people's faces when they saw him for the first time.

After a few more minutes, the alchemic pair arrived at the gargoyle statue that served as the protector of the office above them. Surprising Harry, the gargoyle moved of its own accord without needing a password to allow them access to the spiral staircase. Making the familiar, to Harry at least, trek up the stairs it was only a few moments before arriving at the door to Dumbledore's office. Raising a hand to knock, Harry's hand didn't even make it halfway before the Headmaster's voice called out for them to enter.

Frowning, Harry turned to his mentor with a twitching eye. "One day, I swear I will find out what spell or ward he has on this door."

Armstrong let out a slight chuckle and patted the young man on his shoulder as they entered the office. "To be perfectly honest Harry, I believe it's not a spell but rather the Headmaster making excellent use of his surroundings. With all of the moving portraits that can travel to different frames, it must be easy for him to be able to do all of this."

Harry stood there in shock as a man, who had only been to the Headmaster's office just now, figured out the mystery that he and his friends had not figured out in the five years they had been at the school. Stiffly, Harry turned to the wall and began beating his head against it while muttering "Stupid, stupid, stupid" repeatedly.

The two adults in the room looked at each other in amusement before Albus cleared his throat. "Well, Harry, your revelation aside, it's good to see you again. If the two of you could please have a seat."

Harry stumbled slightly as he walked over to one of the chairs in front of the desk, his self-abuse already evident. Armstrong looked at the small, to him, chair, before turning to the older man. "Pardon me, Professor, but could you change this into something more… sturdy? I'm afraid if I sit I might break the chair."

Albus smiled genially as he produced his wand and gave it a flick, the chair changing to be larger and made of sturdier wood but still looking very comfortable. Armstrong nodded in thanks before sitting down and making himself comfortable but still keeping his military poise.

Leaning back into the comfortable chair behind his desk, Albus laid his hands on his chest and looked between Harry and Armstrong. "Now, considering that the recent events have calmed down to where we can have a civil conversation without being rudely interrupted, I have a few questions for the two of you. First of is, quite obviously, how did you become Harry's mentor, Mister…."

Albus paused here and gain an embarrassed look as he coughed into his hand, causing Harry to fight back the snickers as he realized the elder male hadn't learned his mentors name. "I'm terribly sorry, but we haven't even been properly introduced. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. May I ask your name and rank, seeing as it is quite obvious you're a military man?"

Armstrong smiled at the Headmaster and bowed his head slightly. "It is quite alright sir; things often slip away from us when certain information is deemed more important. My name and rank is State Alchemist Major Alex Louis Armstrong of the Amestris Military. My State Alchemist title is the Strong Arm Alchemist. It is a pleasure to meet you Headmaster Dumbledore."

Albus smiled and returned the bow with his own. "I am pleased to meet you as well, Major Armstrong. Now, I believe I was asking how you became Harry's mentor?"

Coughing into his hand, Harry smiled nervously. "Actually, Professor, it's probably better if I explain. You see, after you told me what had happened to the Philosopher's Stone at the end of my first year, I sent a letter to Mr. Flamel. I had wanted to apologize about what had happened. I wasn't expecting one, but I received a reply a few days later. It was an invitation to speak to Mr. Flamel in person at his home. It was while we were speaking that I ended up meeting Major Armstrong and two of his colleagues."

 **XXXxxxXXXxxx**

 _ **~Flashback~**_

 _ **Flamel Manor, Summer of 1992**_

 _Harry looked around curiously as he was lead to a sitting room, his guide being the wife of the legendary alchemist he was here to meet. Perenelle Flamel was a beautiful woman, that was something that couldn't be denied. She had shoulder blade length black hair with eyes that were a shade off from being called jade. She was about average height for her gender, standing around 5'5" with a slim build and a moderate figure. She was covered in a modern purple dress with long sleeves that stopped at her wrists and flowed down to just above her ankles. What parts of her skin was visible Harry could catch glimpses of black markings, leading him to assume she had tattoos._

 _Perenelle lead him to a rather comfortable looking couch, gesturing towards it with a kind smile. "Sit here, dear. My husband will be along shortly; I just have to send for him."_

 _The elder woman took her wand out of her sleeve and gave it a flick, a silvery Persian cat erupting out of the end and padding away towards the interior of the manor. Perenelle tucked her wand away before sitting down on the loveseat opposite from Harry, leaning forward towards the coffee table in between them to start pouring them each a cup of tea. "How do you take your tea, dear?"_

 _Harry opened his mouth to answer when the room suddenly shook with a loud boom echoing from inside the house, making Harry squawk in shock as he fell off of the couch while Perenelle placed her face in her hands with a groan. "Oh Merlin, not again."_

 _Sitting up and fixing his glasses, Harry looked around in worry. "Um, Mrs. Flamel, what was that?"_

 _Sighing behind her hands, Perenelle lowered them before looking Harry in his eyes, her own showing exasperation along with fondness. "That, young Harry, would be my husband and some of his friends undoubtedly messing up an experiment they were working on. It wasn't the first explosion in this house and it definitely won't be the last."_

 _The door leading to deeper into the manor burst open suddenly, bouncing off of the wall with a loud bang. Four men came running through, the first being slightly above average height for a male with blond hair that was tied into a braid and amber eyes, a look of fear currently on his face. He was wearing an all-black outfit and white gloves, a red cloak covering it with a strange cross like symbol on the back and black boots with red soles._

 _The man chasing him was shorter, standing closer to five feet with red hair and a goatee and blue eyes. This man looked angry and was chasing the first and had his hands up like he was about to strangle him. He was wearing a red checkered plaid shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top button undone, most likely for comfort. He was also wearing blue jeans and a pair of boots on his feet, a rather normal look on a wizard._

 _The third man had similar facial features to the first, leading Harry to believe they were brothers. His blonde hair was in a ponytail and his amber eyes and face bore a worried expression, more than likely scared for his brother. He was wearing a similar outfit to his brother, with his shoes being brown instead of black and red._

 _The fourth man was incredibly large, near Hagrid in height. While Hagrid was just large in general, nothing against the kind man, this man looked to be nothing but muscle. He had no hair except for one lock on his head near his forehead and a moustache that covered his mouth. He was wearing a blue military uniform that Harry wasn't familiar with. He wasn't running, his long strides allowing him to keep up easily while he bore an amused expression on his face._

 _Tearing his eyes away from the last man, Harry watched as the first three kept running in circles around the room._

" _Damn you Edward! You just ruined six months of research and development! I was almost done with that project and now I have to start all over!" shouted the red haired man, a frenzied look in his eyes. "Get back here and take your beating like a man!'_

" _Hell no you crazy bastard! If I let you get a hold of me you're going to try and turn me into a pigeon or something!" the first man, Edward, dove over the couch and stood opposite the red haired man, the both of them circling each other like animals fighting for dominance in nature._

 _The third man came up and tried to calm the red haired man, giving him a nervous and pleading smile, "Come on Nicholas, it was an accident. I'm sure it won't take near as long to get your project back to where it was. After all, I'm sure Ed would be willing to help you, isn't that right Ed?"_

 _He turned toward his brother with a look that promised a great deal of retribution if he didn't work with him on this. Ed nodded quickly and fearfully, fearing both his brother and the now named Nicholas._

 _Nicholas glared toward Ed once more before sighing, fixing the ruffles in his shirt before finally taking notice of Harry and Perenelle. A slight dusting of red covered his cheeks while he coughed into his fist. "Yes, well, that will be fine. Now, I believe that you must be young Harry Potter, are you not?"_

 _Harry nodded as the man approached him and offered his hand, shaking it respectfully. "Yes, sir, I'm Harry Potter. I'm guessing that you're Mrs. Flamel's husband, Nicholas Flamel?"_

 _Nicholas smiled before joining his wife on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "You would be correct, young man. Now enough of that Mr. and Mrs. stuff. Just call us Nick and Nellie. Oh, before I forget, let me introduce these three men here. The one with the braid is Edward Elric and the one with the pony tail is his brother Alphonse. The giant over there is Major Alex Louis Armstrong."_

 _Edward and Alphonse nodded and waved in greeting, giving him a grin as Armstrong bowed slightly and gave the boy his own smile. Harry smiled somewhat shyly as he nodded back. "Nice to meet you all."_

 _Nicholas smiled before clearing his throat to regain Harry's attention. "Now, in your letter you said that you wanted to apologize for your role in the destruction of my Philosopher's Stone, is that right?"_

 _Harry nodded before, after a brief look at his lap, looked up into the alchemist's eyes with an apologetic but determined look. "Yes, sir. I wanted to apologize for getting your Stone destroyed. If I had listened to my teachers and left the matter alone, I never would have gone down to where it was hidden inside the Mirror of Erised and retrieved it from inside the mirror. Quirrel would have never been able to get the Stone out of the Mirror without me and would have been caught if my friends and I had just left matters alone. I am truly sorry for what happened, sir, especially after Professor Dumbledore told me that without the Stone you won't be able to make the Elixir of Life anymore and that you will die without it. I am so, so sorry."_

 _Here Harry was doing his best to not cry at the thought that he had inadvertently caused the eventual death of the couple in front of him. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Nicholas slap his forehead and start muttering about stupid goats. Harry's confusion showed on his face as Nicholas sighed before meeting the young wizards gaze with his own._

" _Let me explain something to you Harry. The Stone that we had sent to Albus was not the real stone. It was a fake that we had made to help Albus in drawing out Voldemort so that he could be caught and finally killed for good. I understand why he told you that we were going to die, but at the same time he caused you an untold amount of unneeded grief. The real Stone is hidden under a Fidelius Charm and cannot be found unless someone is explicitly told where it is by the person who acts as the Secret Keeper. We will not die Harry, not until my wife and I are good and ready to pass on to the next great adventure or we have a particularly bad stroke of luck. Albus told you what he did so that we could have our privacy back and that would make potential thieves leave us alone. I am so sorry for making you worry like you did, young Harry."_

 _Harry looked on in shock before smiling happily, glad that the Flamel's would get to live. He was slightly upset with the Headmaster for a moment, but once Nicholas explained why he had been told what he was he understood as well. Suddenly, Harry realized that he had wasted their time over something that wasn't even a problem in the first place. His face burned about as red as the Hogwarts Express before he gave another apologetic look to the alchemist and his wife._

" _I understand Mr.… um, Nick. I apologize for wasting your time like this."_

 _Perenelle waved off his apology with a smile. "Don't worry about it, Harry. You were doing what you thought was right, there's no harm in that. Is there anything else you'd like to ask us while you are here? It's not every day a young man has the attention of an alchemist like my husband after all."_

 _Harry looked thoughtful as his blush died down, thinking over any possible questions. Finally, one came to him, something that he had been curious about since he found there were no books about it in the Hogwarts Library, much to his and Hermione's frustration. Looking back up to them, Harry had a somewhat hopeful expression on his face. "There is one thing I would like to ask. I want to learn alchemy myself, it sounds really fascinating. I know you're going to be too busy to teach me while you and Mr. Elric fix the project he accidentally ruined," here Edward let out a huff as he crossed his arms with a pout, muttering about disrespectful brats and crazy old bastards, "so do you know anyone who would be able to teach me or where I can get some books so I can learn it myself?"_

 _The adults looked surprised before they all grinned. Nicholas was about to speak up, pride shining in his eyes about someone else wanting to learn alchemy because they find it interesting instead of greed. However, Armstrong beat him to the punch._

" _I'll be more than happy to teach you, Mr. Potter."_

 _Everyone looked surprised at this, Alphonse speaking up first in response. "Are you sure, Major?"_

 _Armstrong nodded and sent Harry another smile. "Of course I am. Edward will be busy with Nick and I'm sure you're going to end up helping them or myself, so you will be kept busy as well. After all, Colonel Mustang sent us out here to build relations with Nick. I think this will be an excellent way of helping that along."_

 _The rest of the adults nodded in agreement before glancing to Harry, who had stood up and bowed slightly to the larger man. "Thank you, Major Armstrong. I promise to learn everything I can from you."_

 _Armstrong grinned wide and nodded to Harry. "Alright then, young man. Your teachings begin tomorrow."_

 _Harry grinned back and was practically shaking in excitement. He couldn't wait to get started._

 _ **~Flashback End~**_

 **XXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office**

"After that, it was learning and practicing alchemy the rest of that summer and for the past few years. Ed and Al even taught me how to fight without a wand, since their style of fighting is better for me than Major Armstrong's." Harry finished his story and took a sip of the water that Albus had supplied a few minutes into the story, his throat slightly sore.

Albus looked on in pride at Harry for his accomplishments while also looking slightly ashamed. "I also want to apologize for what I did all those years ago, Harry. I did not think of what that kind of news could do to someone so young. I am terribly sorry."

Harry waved his apology off. "It's no problem, Headmaster. I understood then and I still do now."

Albus smiled before standing up. "Now, I do believe it is time for lunch. Why don't we make our way down and fill our stomachs?"

Harry and Armstrong nodded and stood up to join Albus as they headed towards the door. Before opening it, Albus turned toward Harry with a mischievous look in his eyes and a small grin. "You know, Harry, seeing as we both have become alchemists I believe that makes us peers. So long as it is in private, I would be happy if you would call me Albus. Just promise me to do it in front of Minerva just once, I imagine her reaction would be quite amusing."

Harry grinned as Armstrong chuckled behind him. "Sure thing Albus."

 **XXXxxxXXXxxx**

 **Alright, and there it is! The big reveal of Harry's mentor and how Harry began learning from him!**

 **I can't wait to see what everyone's reactions to this are!**

 **Read and review, and all flames will be ignored!**


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